William owen



(No Model.)

OWEN.

BOOT 0R SHOE.

No. 570,814. Patented Nov. s, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT f OFFICE.

VILLIAM OWEN, OF PETERSHAM, NEIV SOUTH IVALES.

Boo-r on sHoI-z.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 570,814, dated November 3, 1896. i Application filed March 30. 1896. Serial No. 585,465. (No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM OWEN, mechanical engineer, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Constitution Road, Petersham, in the British Colony of New South IVales, have invented new and useful Improvements in Boots or Shoes for the Purpose of Ventilation, of which the following is a specification.

y This invention relates to certain improvements in boots and shoes by means of which the connection between the sole of the foot and the outer air is maintained, so that the sole thereof, and consequently the foot therein, will be thoroughly ventilated. Not only will the foot be thoroughly ventilated, but it will be preserved against damp rising through the soles. At the same time this invention prevents squeezing of the foot, and it obviates the use of the intermediate lling of felt or scraps ordinarily used, and it is adapted both for sewed and pegged boots and shoes.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction and in the parts and new combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, and then particularly pointed out and defined in the claims; but in order that this invention may be clearly understood reference will now be made to the drawings herewith, in which- Figure l is a sectional elevation of a boot constructed according to the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a partial sectional plan on line a ct, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line b b, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a partial back elevation with portion of the upper cut away to show the upright backward extension of the intermediate soles. Fig. 5 is a plan of the top intermediate sole, while Fig. 6 is a similar view of the bottom intermediate sole.

In use I prefer to make my Ventilating addition to boots and shoes a merchantable article and prepare it by taking semielastic intermediate soles C and D, which` for the best class of boots, I prefer to make of aluminium bronze, though such might be made of other semielastic metal or vulcanite or celluloid or some other stiff springymaterial. These two soles have extension-pieces C' and D', which are bent upwardly, and the inner one thereof, C', bent circularly to the shape of the heel of the boot, while the other extension, D', is also bent circularly, but preferably in two sectors of smaller radius than the radius of the bend of extension D', so that passages or ways are formed by the outside of the eXtension D' on the inside of extension C', the groove D3, shown on the outer extension, forming a central recess for the stitching of the galosh or upper of the boot. The extension C' of intermediate sole C is longer than the extension D' of intermediate sole D. The top intermediate sole has perforations C2, which when said upper intermediate sole is in place correspond to perforations in the insole B of the boot, while on the upper face of the bottom intermediate sole D are a series of riserpieces D2, which keep said top intermediate sole C oif the bottom intermediate sole D, insuring that a space or series of passages shall be always open between said intermediate soles. These two intermediate soles are riveted or soldered together at the toe and heel, as at c' and d', and are then ready for use.

In manufacturing the boot the upper A is first secured to the edges of the insole B and the welt or strip B sewed or pegged thereto and to the insole, as ordinarily. In the recess or space ordinarily filled with scraps or other iillin g are placed the intermediate soles C and D, the extensions C' and D' thereof taking in the back or heel part A' of the upper between the outer material and the lining of said upper, the stiiening material of said heel part being out away to receive said upper extensions C' and D', which thus form part of the stiffening. Through the heel part are perforations A2, which are finished off with eyelets and which are placed just above the end of the extension D' and before the end of the extension C', so that there is communication from the outer air through the eyelets down the ways or passages C3, formed by the bending of the extensions C' and D' between the two intermediate solesand through the insole to the interior of the boot through the perforations C2 in the intermediate sole C and the perforations B2 in the insole.

In walking as the sole of the boot is relieved of the weight of the body, as when lifting the foot, the springiness or semielasticity of the upper intermediate sole C causes it to buckle or move upwardly, thus sucking the air in through the passages or ways before men- IOO tioned. lVhen the weight is againv placed upon the sole, pressing said intermediate sole C onto risers D, such movement causes a flow of the warm air backwardly from between the intermediate soles to the heeleyelets A2. This constant up-and-down movement of the intermediate sole in walking or other movement of the body of the wearer of the boots ventilated by means of my present improvement will insure a thorough ventilation not only of the boot but also of the foot of the Having now particularly described and explained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- 1. A ventilated boot or shoe having an outer imperforate, and an inner perforated sole, and two Ventilating-soles interposed between the same, said Ventilating-soles being formed of thin, semielastic material the upper ventilatv ing-sole being provided with openings which communicate with those in the perforated inner sole, and the lower Ventilating-sole having risers on its upper surface, the upper ventilating-sole normally lying a little above the ends of said risers and adapted to be depressed by vweight and to rise by its elasticity when the nf'eight is removed, and a passage to the exterior air communicating with the space between said Ventilating-soles, substantially as described. 4

2. A Ventilating device for boots and shoes, consisting of an upper and lower sole of semielastic material, the upper perforated and the lower sole having risers on its upper surface above the ends of which the perforated upper sole normally lies by its own elasticity and against which it may be depressed by weight, each of said soles having a rearward eXtension at the heel, that upon the lower sole be ing the shorter and being provided with a central corrugation forming an air-passage communicating with the space between the two soles which are rigidly united 'at the toel and at the heel and adapted to lie between the perforated inner sole and imperforate outer sole of a boot, or shoe, the upward ly-bent heel extensions taking the place of and forming part of the heel-stiffening, substantially as described.

Dated this 27th day of February, 1896.

VILLIAM OWEN. llfitnesses:

FRED WALSH, THOMAS JAMES WARD. 

